Emma Hopkins Crafts Oil Paintings Exploring Real-Life Narratives

The intimate paintings of London-based artist Emma Hopkins carry both vulnerability and absorbing detail, as rendered in oil in the artist’s visceral style. Each of the works carry a story, often directly depicting a subject Hopkins knows. “When I work with people I develop a body of work based on the individuals themselves and the ideas that come from the experience of working with them,” the artist says. The artist was last featured on HiFructose.com here.

Her recent works continue this thread with compelling personalities: a woman who channels her bouts with cancer and long-term illness into helping people with disabilities; the photographer Johnny Thornton, who passed away while collaborating with Hopkins; a daughter and father, who had a life-saving kidney transplant before she was born. “Most recently I have been working with a couple who made the decision to have an abortion a few years ago,” the artist says. “We explored the themes of partnerships and how the abortion has affected their relationship and work.”

In her mixed-media studies, we see the narrative of the works themselves. See more work from Hopkins below. (Studio shots were taken by photographer Mitchell Johnson.)